Fishing Sixteen Lake in Skagit County, Washington

• Overview

  Set in Skagit County, Sixteen Lake is a Washington water. The country round it is pine and hardwood from end to end. The water covers some 43 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 0.9 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Supplies mean a trip to Big Lake, 4.6 miles off. Mount Vernon is 5.7 miles away, with Stanwood at 8.1 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Sixteen Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Public occurrence data for Skagit County names Coho salmon, Chum salmon, pink salmon, rainbow trout and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Sixteen Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 63°F; the cold one sits at 39°F. Cooler months are the productive ones on most of this water. Shade and hour of day matter more than month. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. It sets the rhythm of the year at Sixteen Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows a ramp about half a mile from the shore. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Ten Lake, 1.7 miles away. For Sixteen Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.